Would love to hear your thoughts? Voodoo, Ramblin, Jwar, Epic, McCaravan, Dean, Ignazio, Witty, MS guys, Rock, et. al. What say you?
Bowie:
I am not sure if you are referring to me or Wittymoniker when you mentioned "Witty," but I will answer out of turn if you were not citing me.
While most are predicting a blowout victory favoring the Ramblers, I hasten to remind members this is a fierce rivalry, and a heated neighborhood rivalry at it.
A blowout is possible, but not likely. I say this not because NT is some superpower lying in wait, but because John Holecek is not in the habit of putting up unnecessary points on the board for the purpose of bringing opponents to their knees. To Holecek, it's a symbol of very poor sportsmanship.
However, I hope it is a habit John will set aside for this weekend's game. I'd like nothing more than to see LA grind NT into dust.
Every year, some ambitious sportswriter looking to ingratiate themselves with the NT elite finds a way to shove NT's football program into a pre-season top-twenty poll. It's nothing more than a juvenile, romantic attachment to the school. When writers are fearful of being thoroughly embarrassed and know they can not place the team in the top-twenty, they resort to over-hyping one or more of the players.
I've had fun with it for three decades, watching these writers vomit up human interest stories about this or that NT player. They then make complete fools of themselves by hauling a camera into the homes of these overrated players, and asking silly questions of the blowhard father, the alluring but coquettish mother and family members, as if the son is headed to the NFL. They never fail to mention the kid is in all "honors" classes, harnesses a 5.bazillion gpa on a 5.0 scale, but neglect to add the kid got a 22 on his ACT. (What the heck? He's a poor test taker, right?)
Years ago, Mike Royko waded into this territory and ripped the school. It was hilarious and I reveled in the moment. He never did it again. I suspect some Winnetka resident (and possibly a NT alum) working for the Tribune Company threw a tantrum and managed to slap Royko's wrist.
When the game is over, I hope LA hands NT a loss they won't forget.
And when MS plays NT, my greatest desire is to see the Hawks thump the Trevians' skull.
But before any poster here dismisses this as some disgruntled commentary, one of the main reasons I despise NT is because when they manage to win a title, we never hear the end of it. These self-possessed windbags are still celebrating winning the CSL freshman "B" baseball title from 1923.
The school may boast winning more state titles than any other school, but it's a misleading claim to superiority. The school may collect state titles in badminton, hockey, lacrosse, or swimming like rummy hands, but until they win a football title, or even become relevant in football, I'll clutch my dim opinion of the school and continue to snicker at their overrated athletic programs.
An NT's football program isn't going anywhere as long as MS remains on top.
